If Aerosmith's upcoming tour really is the beginning of their long farewell, drummer Joey Kramer is confident in stating the band is going out on a high note — especially compared to the majority of their classic-rock competitors.

"First of all, as far as Aerosmith goes, there's no band that's been around for almost 50 years that still has the original five guys in the band," Kramer argued during a recent interview with Classic Rock. And the matter of lineup legitimacy aside, he feels his group delivers in a way others simply can't.

"Everybody is always raving about the Rolling Stones, saying the Stones this and the Stones that. I've never cared for the Stones. They never had anything to offer me musically, especially in the drumming department," Kramer continued. "The Stones isn't the original band and I don't care for them. I think if you came to see an Aerosmith concert, people would realize that we play so much better than them that it's silly because they're not so good live."

Taste is subjective, obviously — a point Kramer conceded by admitting that the Stones "are what they are and all of that" — but as far as he's concerned, no other band on the circuit today "does what we do." And once Aerosmith do hang it up, Kramer's convinced no one will come along to take their place, either.

"When the bands that are around now are finished, I think it will be the end of a very long era," predicted Kramer. "I'm talking about bands like us, AC/DC and Van Halen."

Update - Kramer's rhythm section mate, bassist Tom Hamilton, has weighed in on Twitter with a more positive, dissenting viewpoint on the Stones:

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